Tuxedo Princess

The Tuxedo Princess (now renamed "Prince") is a former car ferry that was later used as a floating nightclub, berthed on the River Tyne in Gateshead, England, until July 2008.

The vessel started life in 1961 as a 6,000 ton car ferry as the "TSS Caledonian Princess", built for the Caledonian Steam Packet Company, operating on the Stranraer to Larne route.cite web
title = Tuxedo Princess - the floating nightclub
work = Inside Out
publisher = bbc.co.uk
date = 2008-04-25
url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/content/articles/2008/04/21/north_east_tuxedo_s13_w8_feature.shtml
accessdate = 2008-08-03 ] It was absorbed into the Sealink division of British Rail in 1969.. With only one set of doors for cars to enter and exit through there was a turntable on board to turn the vehicles around so they were facing the right way to disembark. This became a famous feature of the nightclub later, as a revolving dancefloorFact|date=October 2008.

By 1981 the ferry was surplus to requirements following the transition to roll-on/roll-off ships. It was acquired for use as an entertainment venue, fitting out with several ballrooms, opening in 1984.

It was moored on the Quayside in Gateshead, on the south bank of the Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne. First seen as a luxurious venue frequented by celebrities and the place to be, it evolved in the nightclub era to a dance music nightspot, a popular part of the nightlife of Newcastle and the Quayside.

It stayed in Newcastle for the next 25 years, bar a short period when it went to Glasgow and was temporarily replaced by the "Tuxedo Royale", another former ferry.

Post millennium, the "Tuxedo Princess" started to become dated and gained a reputation as a trouble spot,Fact|date=August 2008 although it remained financially viable.Fact|date=August 2008 Following the redevelopment of the Newcastle side of the Quayside with modern bars and waterfront housing, the owners of the vessel, Absolute Leisure, decided to remove the "Tuxedo Princess" in order to redevelop the adjoining Quayside on the south side of the river.Fact|date=August 2008

In its last weeks of use, it hosted a special guest night with many of the couples who originally used the boat and some of whom who met on the "Tuxedo Princess". On 27 July 2008 the boat was towed away from its mooring to a new usage in Greece. [cite web
title = Tuxedo Princess leaves the Tyne
work = BBC Tyne
publisher = bbc.co.uk
date = 2008-07-28
url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/articles/2008/07/28/tuxedo_princess_feature.shtml
accessdate = 2008-08-03] [cite news
last = Craig
first = Alastair
title = Tuxedo Princess starts final voyage to Greece
work = Evening Chronicle
publisher = Trinity Mirror
date = 2008-07-28
url = http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-evening-chronicle/tm_headline=tuxedo-princess-starts-final-voyage-to-greece&method=full&objectid=21417932&siteid=72703-name_page.html
accessdate = 2008-08-03]

On 6 October 2008, the Newcastle Evening Chronicle that the vessel is currently berthed in Piraeus, Greece and is likely to be scrapped [http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-evening-chronicle/2008/10/06/iconic-tuxedo-princess-set-to-be-scrapped-72703-21973977/] . This is a change from earlier reports which envisaged its conversion to a casino.

External links

* [http://www.sealink-holyhead.com/ships/Caledonian_Princess/caledonian_exile.htm Images of the Tuxedo Princess]
* [http://www.tuxedoprincess.net/ Official nightclub site] - no longer live, last known to be active on 3 August 2008
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/articles/2008/07/28/tuxedo_princess_feature.shtml Videos and images of the Tuxedo Princess on BBC Tyne]

References